We have the Leeds Piano Competition to thank for first showcasing the unique poetry of Radu Lupu’s playing: the young Romanian pianist won first prize there in 1969. That success launched his international career, but as the years went by he became a more and more reticent performer, both in the concert hall and on disc. Yet every rare opportunity to hear him was a reminder of just how special a pianist he was, in a repertory that extended from Mozart and Beethoven to Bartók and Janáček, and who was quite peerless in Schubert, Schumann and Brahms. Here are just a few examples of his art.
Mozart: Piano Concerto no 19 in F, K459
Video recordings of Lupu’s performances are hard to find, so this Mozart concerto with David Zinman and the Deutsche Kammerphiharmonie is a rarity to be treasured.
Schubert: Impromptus D935
Taken from a recital in Moscow in 2012, he also recorded the Impromptus in 1983 for Decca.
Schumann: Humoreske Op 20
Recorded live in 1983 and a perfect example of Lupu’s ability to transform a relatively modest work, by no means one of Schumann’s greatest, into something very special indeed. (Listen on Spotify)
Brahms: Piano Concerto No 1
An audio-only recording from a performance in Tokyo in 1994, with Wolfgang Sawallisch conducting the NHK Symphony Orchestra. (Listen on Spotify: movements 1, 2 and 3).
Schubert: Fantasia in F minor, with Murray Perahia
One of the greatest piano-duet recordings of all time, with Lupu partnered in 1984 by his fellow Leeds winner. (Listen on Spotify)
